Big, bad St. Louis Blues have run the show on Oilers for years. Tonight the same?

Game Day #5: Edmonton Oilers vs St. Louis Blues

The Urban Dictionary defines the phrase “run your show” as follows: To completely dominate someone in all ways possible. Usually used in online video gaming but can be used in other things as well.

For years now the Edmonton Oilers and their most ardent boosters have recoiled when this term has been applied to other NHL teams “running the show” of the Oilers, but it’s been a common critique of the Edmonton team, and one new GM Peter Chiarelli has tried to correct in the last year.

Chiarelli, it seems, has had some success.

Tonight when the Oilers play the big, bad St. Blues, a team that has consistently run the Oilers’ show for years now, Edmonton is set to have far more pushback than in previous years.

Most importantly, when St. Louis starts up its killer cycle of the puck, Edmonton will have far more players with ability to break up that cycle. For one thing, Edmonton is a much bigger team than it was previously. Compared to the 2013-14 roster — head coach Dallas Eakins’ first year with the team and somewhere in the middle of the Oil’s smurf experiment — these new Oilers are now, on average, 1-inch taller and 10-pounds heavier.

The Oilers also have a more combative roster than previously, with newer players like Adam Larsson, Kris Russell, Milan Lucic, Zack Kassian, Patrick Maroon and Tyler Pitlick all of an inclination to get physical in the face of opposition physicality.

Of course, none of this guarantees that the Blues won’t again run Edmonton’s show tonight and whip the Oilers in every facet of the game.

Hitchcock’s sweet but deadly praise

Ken Hitchcock and his St. Louis Blues.DARRYL DYCK /
THE CANADIAN PRESS

As a side note, most of these losses have come after St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock has first suckered the Oilers with his fine and calming words. Before most Edmonton-St. Louis games, Hitchcock has been in the habit of buttering up the Oilers with his raves about all the incredible skill that the Oilers have. One can imagine how sweet those words were to all those fine, young Oilers attackers, who proceeded to get stomped mid-toe drag by Hitchcock’s big, tough, disciplined defenders.

In response, let me say this about the current edition of Blues: this St. Louis team has a fabulous line-up of fast and skilled attackers! Guys like Robby Fabbri! Alexander Steen! Ty Rattie! David Perron! Nail Yakupov! Vladimir Tarasenko! Kevin Shattenkirk! Paul Statsny! Fabulous group! They all have the slick moves to dismantle an opposing team in seconds! They can toe-drag you in their sleep! Deke you without breaking a sweat! Yes, the Blues have lost big bruisers like David Backes and Troy Brouwer to free agency, but this fast and daring lot of attackers has more than enough oomph in their game to razzle dazzle the Oilers into submission!

Consider yourself buttered, Blues.

But seriously, the composition of the Oilers, at least, has changed. Edmonton is now as tall as the Blues, on average, and almost as heavy. The Blues are also missing a few of their main show runners, namely the departed Backes and Brouwer, who helped the Blues dominate the Oil in the pits. So we’ll see how it turns out. But at least this fight doesn’t pit a light heavyweight against a heavyweight.

P.S. The Oilers are expected to go with the same lines as they did against Carolina, which works for me. Connor McDavid has gone two games without a point, but that looks to be more on him than it has much to do with his linemates (though Lucic had a weak game against Carolina). Sometimes it’s best to let players and their linemates work out issues, rather than switch them up all the time, and that’s what Oilers coach Todd McLellan appears to be trying here.

The one trouble spot for Edmonton could be the third pairing defence, where Darnell Nurse and Eric Gryba are to team up, two players that can have trouble moving the puck adeptly. Nurse did much better against Carolina after Mark Fayne went out and Nurse was teamed up with more able puck movers. Perhaps that is something the Oilers should consider doing on a more permanent basis, maybe going with Gryba and Andrej Sekera on one pairing and Kris Russell and Nurse on the other, giving Adam Larsson and Oscar Klefbom the toughest minutes.

P.P.S. The Blues lines, as reported by Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, appear to be:

So Yak is back, he’s on top, and he’s set to make a big splash. Of course, he’s an outstanding attacking talent, huge skill, huge razzle dazzle, who can make the Oilers pay in a micro-second for any little mistake. With attackers like that, St. Louis is certain to put on a show of high-flying brilliance. If you know what I mean here.

P.P.P.S. This just in from Hitchcock, today’s buttery quote on the Oil, as reported by Jack Michaels: “They look like Boston. They play like the Bruins with that puck possession game, so it’s gonna be a tough go for us.”

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